The Potomac Nationals' offense is starting to get on a roll, and evidence of that came down this week with outfielder Destin Hood being honored as Batter of the Week in the Single-A Carolina League for the period of May 16-22. In the last seven games, Hood hit .448 (13-for-29) with nine extra-base hits (seven doubles, triple, home run) and 10 RBI. Hood connected on five straight multi-hit games and in three of the games, he had at least three hits. During the stretch, Hood had an amazing...

When the Orioles sent right-hander Dan Klein to Single-A Frederick to begin the season, you had to figure he'd have a good chance to move up to Double-A later this year. But it came very fast, as Klein moved to Bowie after just seven games with the Keys and was in the Eastern League on May 2. "I really didn't think about it (moving up) too much going into the year. I just wanted to throw the ball the best I could and what happens happens. They moved me pretty fast, but I wasn't thinking...

Most fans know that Vladmir Guerrero will be headed to the Hall of Fame at some point. Guerrero's tenure with the Baltimore Orioles will be a pit stop en route to baseball immortality in a career filled with a World Series appearance, big hits, a golden arm and the ability to hit the ball thrown anywhere within a hitter's zone, or out of it. At one time, he rivaled anyone in the sport's history before his knees gave out. Any coach in the sport would never teach Guerrero's approach at the...

I got to be honest with you: There are some nights I lay around my blogging cave believing that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is a real life Baron Victor von Frankenstein. Wouldn't it make sense? I can perfectly visualize a dark and stormy night sometime in late 2010 at Nationals Park. The field is covered, not a soul in sight and there is only one light on in the whole park coming from Rizzo's office. Inside the dusty, cobwebbed foundry sits Rizzo - tired but ravenous, what is left...

We made it through an entire day and night without a roster move, though I set my alarm for 11:59 p.m. in case the Orioles were trying to sneak a press release past me. It should be fairly quiet today. No game, no players sent packing, no medical examinations, no injury rehab starts. If I'm keeping track properly, infielder Cesar Izturis will undergo his elbow surgery tomorrow in Baltimore. Second baseman Brian Roberts will be examined by a concussion specialist tomorrow in Pittsburgh....

A lot of the starters at Triple-A Syracuse - such as Ross Detwiler, Craig Stammen, Garrett Mock, J.D. Martin and Yunesky Maya - have pitched in front of Nationals' fans. We could see them again soon on 1500 South Capitol St. One question is: Who might be the next starting pitcher that we haven't seen yet get the call to D.C.? How about starting with two Brads? Right-hander Brad Peacock continues his dominance at Double-A Harrisburg. This weekend, he had another double-digit strikeout...

Chris Tillman may not be pitching deep into many of his starts, but he is pitching pretty well. But with Brian Matusz nearing a return from the disabled, is Tillman pitching well enough to remain in the rotation? After Sunday's outing against Washington, where he gave up just one run, Tillman's ERA is 1.13 over his past three starts, lowering his ERA on the year from 7.16 to 4.95. Tillman has allowed just two runs over 16 innings in those three starts and has given up just one run in four...

When the Orioles signed Vladimir Guerrero, they probably envisioned he would have some big hits like he had today. After the Orioles were shut out on one hit through six innings this afternoon by Washington's Jordan Zimmerman, Guerrero provided the win with one key swing. His homer to left, a line shot on an 0-2 pitch, gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead in the seventh and they won by that score. "I was looking for a good pitch to hit. Just to make contact, not for a home run, and I hit it out,"...